Thin-Film Solar Reappearing On The Energy Market

The hope for thin-film solar has not been completely lost as the start-up Solexant is looking to raise more funds for the technology.

Initially considered a cheap alternative to conventional silicon solar panels, the thin-film solar was expected to take over the market. However, soon after the release of silicon solar panels, the interested in thin-film solar disappeared.

The guys at Solexant, however, are convinced that the cheap energy at less than $1 a watt, the low price of the solar panels and the relatively cheap and fast construction of factories for thin-film solar could bring the industry back to the market.

But the biggest limitation of the technology is still apparent. The need to reduce cost of installations of solar panels is much more pressing than cutting down the price of the panels themselves. The only way to do this is by making high efficiency solar panels, and these are definitely not the thin-film ones.

Although the engineers in Solexant have replaced cadmium telluride semiconductors with CIGS ones in order to increase the efficiency of the panels, the end result is much lower efficiency than that of conventional silicon solar panels.

It remains to be seen if the company is going to be able to sustain itself until the demand for the technology increases again.

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Comments

Todd Millions

given the roof area of a well layed out home-100m2,one half suitable for panels with proper siting-60 watts per square metre at 6% conversion eficency.This gives a 3000 watt roof capacity.Times 4.8 hours per day.So 14.4Kwh/day average siting. 14times0.7=up to 10 kwh day OUT of battery bank.A perusal of available battries will quickly reveal that they are the limit.Not the efficeincy of a good thin film roof panel-now again unavailable.But if you are ruthless with load reduction and elimination efficiecy strategies,you will find yourself well positioned to use these-replace the cost of the shingles panels- if they become available again.Shoot for a need of less than 2kwh per day battery draw.

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About Mila Luleva

Mila is a researcher and scientist with a great passion for soils, rocks, plants, water and all environment-related aspects of our surroundings. For the past 10 years, during the course of her educational and professional development, she travelled all over Europe, Africa and Asia, driven by her passion for the environment and urge to seek challenges.